Ethanol (ethyl-alcohol):

Similar to other solvent-based processes but utilizing alcohol. The kind you drink, not the kind you clean your scissors with. Because of the way alcohol is produced, it generally has some water in it, therefore it is kind of both a polar solvent and a non-polar solvent, so basically it dissolves both water soluble compounds, and non water soluble compounds (like oils) . Before butane came around, ethanol was probably the most common type of solvent extract, but the relatively higher boiling point (173F degrees) of alcohol and tendency to extract too many undesirable* compounds quickly led to the rapid decline in availability of these extracts within the last 15 years. Although these extracts began to have less popularity, their medicinal qualities can actually be higher, due to the inclusion of water soluble compounds that have medicinal benefits, like terpenes, flavinoids, etc... RSO or Rick Simpson Oil is usually a crude ethanol extract, meaning not refined or minimally refined, but anyone interested in RSO therapy should be aware that most types of concentrated cannabis can be used in place of those labelled RSO, closer to whole plant the better, though. Examples of products we carry are Emerald Bay RSO and capsules.

-Kevin Moon, Director of Extraction at Tahoe Wellness Center